Wadi Hava to Ekev Section 35 February 2016

The group left Ra’anana at 04:15, heading to the Sde Boker field school to meet Chaim Berger of Negev Jeep Tours, (Tel: 054-534-3797 ) who, with his 4x4, brought us to the Hava Night Camp which was the start point for today's hike. The ride took about 45 minutes.

We start each hike with some motivational words where we stand in a circle with our arms outstretched and our poles at attention. Eta opened the hike with a beautiful ‘charge’. ETA: In parshat Terumah, we learn about the Holy Mishkan and its vessels. Each of these has its spiritual counterpart in our own lives. Since we no longer have the Mishkan or the Beit HaMikdash, we need to create the holy place wherever we are, in our hearts, our homes, and on the shvil.

We hiked into Nachal Hava . Soon we could see a lush oasis from the distance! We entered Ein Shaviv at km 8.9; and heard the sounds of chirping of birds and the sound of reeds swaying in the wind. We felt a powerful connection to this Land and had an opportunity to be present for this precious experience.

At Ein Akev, mid-day, we met boys from Chevruta, a high school in Raanana. Each year, there is a trip to start and complete the Shvil from the start to its end. The spring at Ein Akev is a lovely pool, with Maidenhair – Sayar Shulamit. Some of the kids swam in it.​The descent just before finishing the day was challenging. With the aid of rungs, we slowly but surely descended the first part, a steep vertical drop. The boys from Chevruta were flying by us, but not before asking if we needed assistance. We powered on, mostly on our behinds as the slope was steep and the ground made slippery by dust and pebbles created by the limestone in the area. We could see Chaim Berger's jeep from above, which served as an imaginary rope pulling us toward it.